Archive

13 JunMixed Messages

When an economy is smoothly rolling along, it is fairly easy to forecast. At the start of the recovery in 2009, two potential developments seemed likely: the U.S. economy would rebound slowly because of restrictive federal fiscal policies; and the Puget Sound region would outpace the nation because of thousands of new jobs at Boeing and Amazon.com...Now that the recovery is getting longer in the tooth, questions are arising about its future course.

Volume: 24 - Number: 2

Leading Index Title:

Special Topic Title: Import Substitution

Authors:

  • Dick Conway
  • Doug Pedersen

16 JunThe Fiscal Cliff

Politicians excel at debating issues and then doing nothing about them...But the Obama administration and Congress have come to the edge of what has been called the "fiscal cliff," and this time there is no backing away.

Volume: 20 - Number: 2

Leading Index Title:

Special Topic Title: Economic Resilience

Authors:

  • Dick Conway
  • Doug Pedersen

16 SepEnd in Sight

This decade has been "just one damn thing after another." Who would have imagined our string of bad luck: the dot-com implosion, 9/11, the housing bubble and credit crunch, and soaring energy prices? Or was it bad luck?

Volume: 17 - Number: 3

Leading Index Title:

Special Topic Title: Washington Tax Structure

Authors:

  • Dick Conway
  • Doug Pedersen

16 DecGroping for the Bottom

The National Bureau of Economic Research recently reported that the United States fell into recession at the end of 2007. Now, one year later, the Puget Sound region is in the soup.

Volume: 16 - Number: 4

Leading Index Title:

Special Topic Title: Great Depression

Authors:

  • Dick Conway
  • Doug Pedersen

16 SepWait and See

Two-year forecasts are more accurate than ten-year projections, right? Not always. Consider the volatile housing market, a topic of keen interest right now.

Volume: 15 - Number: 3

Leading Index Title:

Special Topic Title: Long-Range Forecasting

Authors:

  • Dick Conway
  • Doug Pedersen

16 MarThe Jitters

Fed chair Ben Bernanke may not like it, but Alan Greenspan has still got it. The day after the former chief uttered the "R"word, the stock market turned south, causing a case of the jitters.

Volume: 15 - Number: 1

Leading Index Title:

Special Topic Title: Sports and the Economy

Authors:

  • Dick Conway
  • Doug Pedersen

16 DecGood Cheer

End of year is a fitting time to sum things up. Economic statistics for 2006 have not been finalized, but so far the numbers look good. The 3.5 percent gain in Puget Sound employment, if it holds up, will be the best showing in eight years.

Volume: 14 - Number: 4

Leading Index Title:

Special Topic Title: Population Change

Authors:

  • Dick Conway
  • Doug Pedersen

16 FebA Real Letdown

The Puget Sound economy does not have a will to do good or bad. Nevertheless, as we become mired in a recession, it is hard to escape the feeling that the economy has let us down. The things that we once admired about the economy--Boeing, high-technology, international trade, and energy prices--have seemingly turned their backs on us.

Volume: 10 - Number: 1

Leading Index Title:

Special Topic Title: Forecasting Methods

Authors:

  • Dick Conway
  • Doug Pedersen

16 AugRepeating History

History is not preordained to repeat itself, except maybe in the case of the Puget Sound economy (King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Kitsap counties). For the fifth straight time, the region is beginning a decade with a slowdown or worse.

Volume: 8 - Number: 3

Leading Index Title:

Special Topic Title: Housing Market

Authors:

  • Dick Conway
  • Doug Pedersen